Photographic elements generally form images through a reaction in which a developer reduces exposed silver halide to metallic silver. The oxidized developer then often reacts with a coupler that forms or releases an image-forming dye or other photographically useful compound. However, unwanted reactions between oxidized developer and components of the photographic element can cause adverse effects, such as color contamination. For example, in a multilayer color photographic element, a different color dye image is formed in each color-sensitive layer of the element by the reaction of oxidized developer in that layer with a dye forming coupler. Migration of oxidized developer from one color-sensitive layer to another can cause unwanted dye formation in one layer as a result of exposure and development in another layer, adversely effecting color image reproduction.
In order to minimize unwanted reactions between oxidized developer and components of the photographic element, oxidized developer scavengers are used. These scavengers are incorporated in photographic elements in locations, such as interlayers, to prevent or reduce the reaction of oxidized developer with components in the element. Oxidized developer scavengers are well known in the art and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,366,236 to Takahashi, 4,447,523 to Ross et al., 4,923,787 to Harder, and 4,927,744 to Henzel et al.
Photographic elements also often contain filter dyes to absorb light from different regions of the spectrum, such as red, green, blue, ultraviolet, and infrared. These filter dyes are often required to perform the function of absorbing light during exposure of the material so as to prevent or at least inhibit light of a region of the spectrum from reaching at least one of the radiation sensitive layers of the element. Filter dyes are often employed in photographic elements as solid particle dispersions as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,661,899 to Lange et al. 4,770,984 to Ailliet et al., 4,900,653 to Factor et al., 4,923,788 to Shuttleworth et al., 4,940,654 to Diehl et al., 4,948,717 to Diehl et al., 4,948,718 to Factor et al., 4,988,611 to Anderson et al., and 4,994,356 to Diehl et al.
It may be desirable for the oxidized developer scavenger and the filter dye to be contained in the same layer. In this case, they are generally applied to a photographic support in the same photographic coating composition and must be compatible with one another in the composition prior to being coated. That is to say that they should remain stable in the presence of each other during melt holding, for example, when held in a coating melt at about 45.degree. C. for up to about 24 hours.